1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to computers and communication systems. More specifically, the present invention relates to virtual systems, computers and software systems and communication networks.
While the present invention is described herein with reference to illustrative embodiments for particular applications, it should be understood that the invention is not limited thereto. Those having ordinary skill in the art and access to the teachings provided herein will recognize additional modifications, applications, and embodiments within the scope thereof and additional fields in which the present invention would be of significant utility.
2. Description of the Related Art
Notwithstanding the exigencies of business, it is often impossible, impractical or too costly for an individual or a group of individuals to be physically present at a particular location at a particular time.
For example, after the earthquakes in Los Angeles in 1994, many freeways were disabled for several months. Inasmuch as many of the freeways were on the verge of gridlock prior to the earthquake, traffic congestion after the destruction was such that for thousands of workers, a previously typical one-half hour commute to work became a two hour exercise in frustration. The cost to businesses was estimated to be on the order of millions of dollars per day. Accordingly, alternatives to the automotive commute were seriously evaluated.
One such alternative was "telecommuting". Telecommuting is a concept by which business is conducted in the home and communicated to the office or other locations via conventional telephone lines and other communication systems. While the vision of a large percentage of the workforce telecommuting has been discussed for years, corporate receptivity to the concept, even after the earthquakes of 94, has been lukewarm due, at least in part to the fact that conventional telecommunication systems do not allow for close management and/or supervision of subordinate employees. Thus, despite the fact that studies indicate the those that work out of the home are at least as productive as those that work in a conventional office environment (and, in some cases, significantly more productive), most companies simply do not allow a significant percentage of their workforce to telecommute. As a result, telecommuting has heretofore not provided a strong incentive for an investment in the equipment needed in the home to telecommute effectively. Given the lack of support for the concept on the part of employers, it has not been realistic to expect employers to invest in the equipment to provide even the limited telecommunications capability currently available. Hence, suppliers of such equipment have not generally provided equipment designed to facilitate telecommuting per se. Instead, suppliers of such equipment continue to use conventional market models and design equipment (such as fax machines and the like) for the business office and low cost, low duty cycle alternatives of same for the home. Currently, little is being done to provide telecommunications equipment which addresses the remote management and supervision problem. While there are some video teleconferencing systems on the market which provide face-to-face communication, these systems have traditionally been too expensive to be put in thousands of homes.
More recently, some products have been introduced which provide limited video interfacing and document sharing through a personal computer. ProShare.TM. from Intel and Pacific Telesis, ShareView.TM. from ShareVision, and CAMEO.TM. from Compression Labs Incorporated are exemplary of such systems. Unfortunately, the performance of these systems is limited by the fact that video communication and the document sharing are constrained through a monitor. Use of multiple monitors is not envisioned as it would significantly increase the cost and complexity of the system. The use of a single monitor to display data and video constrains the system with respect to the amount of information which may displayed at any given time.
In addition, system control is implemented primarily through a keyboard interface. While this may be suitable in a single application, and despite an availability of onscreen icons, keyboard control is still substantially more cumbersome, when moving from task to task, than working at one's desk for example. That is, when working in a real environment, one moves quickly and easily back and forth between files, documents, tools and appliances while carrying on conversations with coworkers directly or over the telephone. Thus, while computers allow for efficient performance of tasks using word processors, database programs and the like, the conventional computer interface is limited as a platform for creating a virtual work environment, particularly in the video telephone conferencing application critical to telecommuting.
Accordingly, a need remains in the art for a system for providing a virtual office environment which integrates telecommunications and computer-based tools in a manner that simulates a real office environment. Further, assuming that such a virtual office system could be provided, there would be a further need for a system for networking such virtual offices to provide real time two way communication to optimize the utility thereof and to facilitate remote management and supervision.